So, it happened. You were feeling amazing – energized, healthy, and naturally making the right choices for your body without thinking about it too much.

And then BAM – a coworker brings in the best brownies ever and you eat about, oh, four of them. And you feel terrible. Shaky, irritated, frustrated and fat.
brown_sugar_examplesSo, what now?

  1. Breathe. Whenever we overeat we usually aren’t breathing fully. As soon as you catch a breath, take five deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
  2. Forgive yourself. This instance is not a reflection of your self-worth as a human, and it’s totally natural and ok. Write down five things you love about yourself. Just do it.
  3. Exercise vigorously as soon as possible. Sugar is actually great because it gives us immediate energy. The flip side is that it’s more addictive than cocaine and seriously messes with blood sugar, causing a crazy cravings cycle that doesn’t end until we reduce or nix sugar. After a sugar binge, it’s important to exercise as soon as possible to burn through the sugar and ease your mind. Exercising won’t undo the addictive cycle that sugar sparks, but it will help balance blood sugar and reset your body to some extent.
  4. Drink lots of water. Water flushes sugar out and rebalances blood sugar. It also fills you up, getting rid of fake hunger signals that sugar causes.
  5. Whatever you do, don’t skip your next meal. A lot of people think it’s totally fine to have a couple brownies instead of lunch or dinner, but this only sets you up for fat storage and a near future full of cravings for salty, high-fat, and sugary foods. Get back to your regular eating schedule right away. Focus on protein, green vegetables and complex carbs like sweet potatoes. You’ll feel calm and energized in no time.

My most epic sugar saga went down years ago when I was studying abroad in Florence, Italy and polished off an entire jar of Nutella in one sitting more than once over a few months.

Have you had a sugar freak out recently? Why do you think it happened? How did you handle it? How do binges affect you, physically and mentally? Share your own tools, tips, questions and qualms below. I can’t wait to hear from you.